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The football world cup begins in South Africa tomorrow.  I havent subscribed to the sports channels and that would explain that iam not dying to watch the matches. But ya, will be following the sport on the net as much as possible.  Websites, blogs, twitter, videos….there is a lot to choose from.

As always, my favourites are anyone other than England and Brazil.  Why i dislike England is because they remind me of the Indian cricket team comprising the fab 5 of yesteryears.  Apart from their personal records, India hardly won anything when they played.  Similarly, i believe the English football team is also a team of superstars.

Brazil is an exception as it manages to win the cup inspite of having so many superstars in their team.  But then they have won the trophy so many times that iam bored of following them.

Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal…so many to choose.  Hope Italy doesnt suffer from the defending champions curse and crash out soon.

The matches are telecast late at night here and i dont think i have the patience or energy to stay up late at night to watch the matches.   But will try to catch any of the matches that falls over the weekends.  If i was back home in Hyderabad, i would have stayed up late and watched all the matches with my dad.

My prediction of the toppers per group

Group A – France, Mexico
Group B – Argentina, Korea
Group C – England, USA
Group D – Germany, Australia
Group E – Netherlands, Denmark
Group F – Italy, Slovakia (guess)
Group G – Brazil, Portugal
Group H – Spain, Switzerland

May the best team win

Above world cup groups image courtesy: Eldirectorioargentino

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More here.  And now, it would be worth watching if the perennial losers in the semi finals of the Champions League will lift the coveted trophy.  More power to the blues to take on the reds

Ancelotti brings with him a huge legacy.  A Champions league trophy winner twice each as a player and as a manager, he will have huge expectations to live up to.

Picture source: Chelseafc

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On one hand it was a great feeling seeing Deccan Chargers back to their winning ways by trouncing Mumbai Indians by 19  runs. A stupendous bowling effort by Rohit Sharma who took 4 wickets for 6 runs which included a hat trick was the main reason for the DC win.

And on the other hand, heartbreak to see Chelsea miss yet another seat to the Champions league finals.  Andreas Iniesta’s injury time goal meant that Barcelona drew 1-1 with Chelsea and thus moved into the finals with a better away goal record.

Earlier, Michael Essien scored for Chelsea in the 9th minute to go 1-0 for the English team.

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When it comes to sports, the action never stops. As soon as the Premiership, Champions League and the Indian Premier League came to a close, we have the Euro 2008. So, who are my favourites? Well, this time, i just want to relax and watch the matches and not worry about the results. 3 of my favourite teams are in Group C – Netherlands, Italy & France.

I have got an exam on Tuesday and am yet to open the books. Heck, football is more important. Yay

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Heads have started rolling at Chelsea after what the owner, Roman Abramovich might consider to be a disappointing season. This is how Chelsea performed in the season

Carling Cup – Runners up
Premiership – Runners up
Champions league – Runners up

For any other team, this would be a pretty good season. But then, teams like Chelsea thrive on getting silverware. If you cant get them, be prepared to be sacked. Anyway, Grant was never known for his tactics and was overtly defensive sometimes considering the fact that Jose Mourinho was sacked for precisely that reason. At least Mouinho grinded out results and made sure that the team won 6 cups during his 3 year reign at Stamford Bridge.

So, who’se the next sacrifical lamb? Popular names include Guus Hiddink (currently coaching the Russian team) or Frank Rijkaard (the sacked coach of Barcelona). Whoever comes in will have his task cut out. There are no half measures at Chelsea and he will have to hit the ground running on day one.

But surprise, surprise, according to these reports on Soccernet, Jose Mourinho might be back too. Jose Mourinho is almost worshipped at Chelsea. Iam not expecting miracles, but then, the return of the “Special One” back to the English Premier League would rile the old foxes Ferguson, Benitez and Wenger. That’s what i would love to see. No one gets under the skin of the opposition like Jose can.

Like they say, “Never say never”.

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